My Review: Before Midnight (9/10)

"Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but we are just passing through."

It has been 18 years since Jesse and Celine first met on a train and had their lives changed with that encounter, as did ours because Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy created one of the most authentic romantic and memorable relationship on film. This is the third film of the franchise and in my opinion it is the best one because it feels even more real than the previous two. The previous films focused more on a romanticized idea of love, but here the tone of the film shifts as we see this couple facing true challenges in their relationship. There is no doubt these two characters love each other deeply, but that doesn't mean their love is perfect. In Before Midnight we are at a stage in Jesse and Celine's relationship where they have some important issues to resolve. Their relationship is on the verge of a breakdown due to several problems they never dealt with until now and have really escalated. The performances are so good that you never feel like you are watching a movie; it is more like a documentary about a couple facing some serious problems in their relationship that they are trying to resolve through communication. I don't think I've seen better dialogues about relationships than I saw in Before Midnight. There were some very emotional moments and overall I thought these 3 films complemented each other very well. 

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) have decided to live together after their encounter 9 years ago in Paris. Jesse left his wife and son to live with Celine who immediately got pregnant with twins. In the present the couple is spending time in a vacation home in Greece with a writer who has invited the family to spend the summer with him and his friends. The film opens at the airport where Jesse is saying goodbye to his son, Hank (Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick), who is returning to America after visiting his father. On their way back to their vacation home Jesse discusses with Celine how fast his son has grown and how bad he feels about not being able to be near him during these critical years in his life. Celine doesn't want to return to America because they tried that in the past and it didn't work. She also has a great job opportunity at home, and this minor argument seems to only be the tip of the iceberg in their relationship problems. They are as cute as ever together, but there are still many unresolved issues that really put their relationship on the verge of failure. Despite it all this still is a very romantic film that explores new ground in the Before trilogy.  

It has been a great deal of pleasure being able to walk alongside this fantastic couple through the different European cities and listening to what these two have to say to each other about love, life, and relationships. They are so good together that it never becomes tiring or tedious to sit through. In this third film I felt like they were at their best together. The arguments felt so real and authentic that it sometimes was uncomfortable to sit through because we really want to see these two work their issues out. Like any other couple they say hurtful things to each other and that really builds the tension in this film because they are so charming together that we really want the two to find a way to resolve their issues as soon as possible. I really loved the ending in this film and thought it was a perfect tie to the first film. It was the best film of the trilogy, but you won't appreciate it as much if you haven't seen the first two movies to fully understand what is at stake here. Before Midnight is one of the year's best films and amongst Linklater's best movies. It is a heartwarming, raw, and funny movie about love and relationships with some terrific performances.

My Review: Before Sunset (8/10)

"Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything."

Before Sunrise felt like such a perfect romantic movie that many people had doubts about reuniting these characters nine years later and making a sequel, but fear not because Richard Linklater gives un another perfect story and both Delpy and Hawke are magnificent together. I imagine that everyone that had seen the film back in 1995 made their own conclusions of wether or not these two lovers met six months later like they planned, but now Linklater decides to tell us what happened exactly. I didn't have to think too much about it because I saw Sunrise yesterday, watched Sunset today, and now will get to watch Midnight. I thought this was a perfect sequel to Sunrise and pretty much follows a similar plot line, but with more mature conversations now that the characters have aged. I imagine that those people that had to wait nine years between each sequel probably had a much richer experience than those of us who simply got to see these films in one week, especially those viewers who were about 23 years old in 1995 and matured at sort of the same rate these characters did. In Before Sunset the characters are in their 30's which is the age I'm at now so I related much more to what they were saying this time around. The first film was nostalgic, reminding me how I thought when I was their age, but this time I could identify with them in the present. Looking back and remembering those connections you made with someone and realizing that those connections are hard to come across now that you are older. I guess in a way you value things more now that perhaps in the past you wouldn't. Linklater succeeds once again at bringing a really romantic tale to the big screen.

In Before Sunrise Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met as strangers in a train and spent a night together wandering the streets of Vienna. Before Sunset takes place nine years later as Jesse is at the end of his European book tour in Paris. He has written an autobiographical book about his encounter with Celine although he never admits that the events are true. When he finishes talking about his book he is surprised to see Celine there waiting for him. She lives in Paris and had heard he was going to be speaking at that book store so she decided to go see him. Jesse has to be back at the airport in an hour, but the two get together once again for a cup of coffee and a walk through the streets of Paris while they talk about their life, work, and relationships. They also let us know what happened that day they were supposed to reunite in Vienna. 

If there's something negative I could say about Before Sunset it's that it is way too short and you wish the characters could have spent at least half an hour longer together. This time the film and the events that take place are in real time so you have several long shots (the longest one is 11 minutes long) and few editing going on. The film isn't as brilliant to look at, but it is a great conversation to eavesdrop. The chemistry is strong again and this time there is more conversation and less passion, but it works really well. Before Sunset never felt like a forced sequel; it was more of a continuation of that movie and hopefully I will feel the same way about Before Midnight. Linklater was nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay and deservingly so with the contribution of Hawke and Delpy who also co-wrote this film. Before Sunset is a beautiful and romantic film that is well worth your time. 

My Review: Before Sunrise (8/10)

"I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away."

Before Sunrise is a brilliant film about a young man and a young woman who meet in a train and spend an entire night together sharing their views on life while they walk around the streets of Vienna. It might seem like a pretty simple film, but Richard Linklater managed to create a unique and special relationship between these two characters thanks to a great script and an incredible chemistry between the two lead performers. Linklater co-wrote the script with Kim Krizan and every single dialogue in this film felt completely real and authentic. This is a very special movie that might seem simplistic but is really complicated because it's difficult to maintain the audience's attention in a film where two characters are speaking to each other without anything actually happening. The real climax and suspense in this film is seeing how time is running out for these characters and knowing this is probably the only night they will get to share together. Anyone who has gone out alone with another couple knows that it can be very boring spending time with them, but you never feel this way about Jesse and Celine because their conversations are so interesting that one wouldn't mind spending time with them and just observing how they interact with each other. That is how I felt about this authentically romantic film.

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a young American tourist in Europe who has been traveling across Europe in train. His next stop is Vienna where he will spend the night and take the morning plane back home. Celine (Julie Delpy), a young French woman is returning on the same train from visiting her grandmother. Jesse and Celine exchange glances and begin flirting with each other. When the train arrives at Vienna, Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him and spend the night sightseeing. She agrees and the film focuses its entire attention on the interaction they have with each other during that night before sunrise while they visit different spots in Vienna. They have some great and deep conversations about love, relationships, and life. They both know this will probably be their only night together, which is a shame because they share a really strong connection together.

The film is so brutally honest and authentic that Before Sunrise has become a classic for romanticists everywhere and it inspired two more follow up films by director Linklater. Linklater first came to the attention with his film Slackers and later Dazed and Confused, but his Before trilogy will probably be what he will be remembered for. He has also directed completely different genre films like School of Rock and Bernie. My personal favorite of his is Bernie, but Before Sunrise comes in a close second. I'm all set for Before Sunset now and am thankful I didn't have to wait 9 years to see the resolution of this sweet couple's story. This is a bittersweet movie and it portrays love and relationships in such an authentic way that it stands out as one of the greatest examples of how a romantic film must be made. A few scenes stand out above the rest for me, like the scene where Celine and Jesse have an imaginary conversation with each other as if they were talking to their best friends about their adventure (some important plot points are explained here as to why Jesse was in the train and why Celine agreed to get off with him), and the scene where Jesse makes fun of Celine for believing in the fortune teller's words. There are some really touching and sweet conversations and Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy give great and memorable performances. Not only the dialogues worked, but the non-verbal conversation between them was outstanding. Before Sunrise is a must see!